Getting the most out of an anime convention

 <-Unless your dad acts like this guy, you should have an easy time having fun at an anime convention

With the onset of anime expo and myself being surrounded by convention n00bs, I believe it is time that I share my sage like wisdom on the ins and outs of making the most of an anime convention. After all, one of the most important things to having fun in one of these things is knowing exactly what you want to do.

1.)    Planning: Yes, in order to party as hard as possible at a convention, one must plan in advance exactly how they wish to accomplish partying, lest they wind up wandering around not knowing what to do. At that point, they wind up doing nothing, resulting in a watered down experience. Hence, look at the schedule before the actual con before you go there, so you have a general plan on what must be done

2.)    Don’t let others hold you back: Well, normally I’d say bromance is the key to success, but not in this case. Often, my friends will just sit around and discuss what they should do and not actually do it. One year, the group just sat around in their hotel room and played their Nintendo DS’s all day. What does this tell you? RUN! Ditch the morons as they squabble over petty details. If you do it right, maybe some of them will follow you. Most conventions are only once a year, and why should you spend the whole time standing around

3.)    HOTBLOOD: In order to REALLY make the most out of a convention you must enter a trance like state and let go of the logic you normally live by. Really, do you really need more than 5 hours sleep? Is eating on a regular basis THAT important? Or would you rather get to a really important panel or movie premiere? Allow the general energy and excitement in the convention to consume you, and allow your own excitement to sustain you as you make your journey through the convention. This will allow you to reach new heights of performance, on much less fuel. Fear not, you can eat and sleep when you get home. (You’ll immediately crash though… oh well)

4.)    Bromance: Ironic considering the previous point mentioned above. Bros can actually be very helpful in increasing your enjoyment of the convention, as long as they don’t hold you back. Doing exiting things alone isn’t nearly as exiting as doing them together, so make sure you try to drag one or two friends to an event assuming they aren’t too busy deliberating what to do. People who DON’T enjoy standing around and deliberating are lots of fun to drag around cons, or be dragged around by.

Unfortunately, one of the most important things to becoming an expert at enjoying conventions is experience, and that doesn’t come freely. I suggest that new people attempt to team up with an experienced conventioneer, and follow them. It’ll help you find good events. However, the ever important experience does not come unless you actually go to these conventions a lot, such as Anime Expo, and gather this experience first hand.

Related Posts:
My Journey through Anime Expo 2010
Convention Trances: Drawing on the Essence of an anime convention
My Experience Volunteering at an anime convention
Comic Con 2009